Understanding innovation and creativity is at the heart of Eicorn and our Enterprise Ignition™ framework. Innovation, especially in the digital domain, is becoming increasingly important to a majority of corporations. Since efficiency has been the presiding competitive advantage in most industries for decades, a large number of firms are now struggling with organisational culture, processes and resources, which are insufficient for innovations to spawn naturally.

What managers that are schooled and experienced in creating efficiencies usually do, when they understand the need to innovate inside the company, is to set up an innovation department run by the firm’s most innovative people. Naturally, this group takes on the task by innovating a highly specific setup for the innovation department within the particular firm. We call this innovating innovation, and it consistently renders low-performing innovation departments, drains corporations of their resources and very often unravels efficiencies that are vital for the ongoing business of the firm. It is estimated that about half of Europe’s top 200 R&D firms are experiencing such struggles.

Eicorn approaches the need for corporate innovation initiatives or revitalisations in a fundamentally different way. We recognize the fact that virtually all firms have more things in common, than what they have completely unique features. Additionally, we acknowledge that there are well known and empirically proven methods to set up efficient innovation departments. Eicorn helps firms understand which activities and strategies are most likely to yield positive results in the short, middle and long term, from an evidence based perspective. We also help our clients with tangible innovation work, ranging from management workshops and coaching, to ideation, verification, on-boarding, execution and implementation.

Examples of assignments:

Organisational analysis from an innovation perspective. Finding out why innovation is slow or low in the firm and how to make changes.

Organisational development for innovation, especially setting up ambidextrous organisations correctly.

Management workshops, training, inspiration, and coaching, with an emphasis on innovation management.

Implementation of evidence based innovation management principles and processes.

Innovation strategy development, with an emphasis on digitalisation processes and opportunities.

Innovation pipeline development, including ideating, prioritising, prototyping, and help with “killing darlings”.